CORROSION DETECTION SENSOR EMBEDDED WITHIN A CONCRETE STRUCTURE WITH A DIFFUSION LAYER PLACED OVER THE SACRIFICIAL TRANSDUCER

摘要

A corrosion detection sensor embedded within a concrete structure. The sensor includes a hermetically sealed resonant circuit that is a resistor-inductor-capacitor (RLC) circuit. The sensor further includes a sacrificial transducer that is inductively or capacitively coupled to the resonant circuit, where the sacrificial transducer is exposed to an environment outside the sensor to monitor corrosion of steel reinforcement in the concrete structure. Additionally, the sensor includes a protective cementitious housing surrounding the resonant circuit and the sacrificial transducer. The sensor further includes a diffusion layer placed over the sacrificial transducer, where the diffusion layer enables a dispersion of a chemical species over the sacrificial transducer. In this manner, a more uniform distribution of the chemical species over the surface of the sacrificial transducer mitigating the localized corrosion is ensured. Furthermore, such a design is less susceptible to false positives.

主权项

1. A corrosion detection sensor embedded within a concrete structure, comprising:
a hermetically sealed resonant circuit comprising an inductor, a resistor and a capacitor; a sacrificial transducer that is inductively or capacitively coupled to said resonant circuit, wherein said sacrificial transducer is exposed to an environment outside said sensor to monitor corrosion of steel reinforcement in said concrete structure; a protective cementitious housing surrounding said resonant circuit and said sacrificial transducer; and a diffusion layer placed over said sacrificial transducer, wherein said diffusion layer enables a dispersion of a chemical species over said sacrificial transducer.